Tuesday, April 5, 2011

DRAGONFLY 25

Boat: DRAGONFLY 25

Builder: Quorning Boats

Designer:

More: DRAGONFLY 25 Specifications

News:

Weather holds key to Rolex Fastnet Race fortunes


Author: Trish Jenkins

Tension was mounting in Plymouth this afternoon as the leaders in the Rolex Fastnet Race looked anxiously over their shoulders, boats within sight of each other were fighting for every inch of advantage and, holding the trump card, was the weather.

Expected to be first monohull home is the 92-foot Stealth, owned by Italian
industrial magnate Giovanni Agnelli with round the world race veteran Paul
Standbridge. She was predicted to cross the finish line at 2100 this evening
and that would have given her a new race record. But that prize may prove
tantalisingly elusive as the wind was decreasing in strength, so slowing her
average speed.

Almost resigned to failing in his main mission, to take line Rolex Fastnet
line honours to add to the Sydney-Hobart success he notched up in the
2000/2001 race, Ludde Ingvall said that the close reaching conditions had not
suited his 79-foot Nicorette. Nor was he confident about reeling in Hasso
Plattner's 80-foot Morning Glory just ahead of him.

But Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson was enjoying the ride on
Nicorette, adding that steering the boat at night had meant "a new dimension
in concentration, having to anticipate the action of the waves when not being
able to see them."

The race between the four Volvo 60s in their last side-by-side and sail trial
ahead of the Volvo Ocean Race start on 23 September saw British skipper Jez
Fanstone's News Corp snatching back the lead he had lost just before rounding
the Rock to John Kostecki in illbruck. But with 100 miles to go, it was too
close to call. Roy Heiner in Assa Abloy was still trying to claw back some
ground lost when first hitting a shark and then having a mainsail halyard
break. Fourth was Gunnar Krantz in Team SEB.

But, while the focus is always on the big boats wanting to be first home, the
premier prize, the Fastnet Challenge Cup, is awarded to the yacht recording
the best time after handicap adjustments are made. Strongly in the running
for that it the 52-foot, Australian-owned Loco, with the talents of Olympic
gold medallist Iain Percy, British America's Cup team tactician Adrian Stead,
veteran navigator Peter Morton and Farr 40 champion Mark Heeley all on board.
She had a 40-minute advantage when she rounded the Fastnet Rock on Morning
Glory packed with Team New Zealand America's Cup defence squad talent. Loco
should be back for breakfast tomorrow.

Safely bobbing on its mooring below the windows of the Royal Western Yacht
Club and just outside the breakwater of the Queen Anne's Battery Marina, the
60-foot trimaran Eure et Loir had been first home, crossing the line at
10.29.54. The time of 1day 18hrs 19mins 54secs was two hours outside the
record set by Loick Peyron in Fujicolor two years ago but was explained by
double gold and silver Olympic medallist Rodney Pattisson. "Sadly, we had to
beat all the way to Land's End. On the way back it went light at Bishop Rock,
so we realised we didn't have much hope of beating the record. We can always
try again."

That was confirmed by Francis Joyon, who earlier this year broke the Hoya
Round the Isle of Wight record with Pattisson. "This was our second Rolex
Fastnet Race and the winds were much stronger this time than in 1997," he
said. "We would like to be back to race again in 2003." And Pattisson added,"
I think we could knock about three hours off the record in the right
conditions. It is very vulnerable."

More Information:

  • YachtsandYachting.com Fastnet Page

See also: DRAGONFLY 1200 for sale